So Much For McCain’s Outreach To Latinos

[Cross-posted at Firedoglake.]

 The folks over at The Sanctuary — one of the premier group blogs about Latino issues — last month sent out a questionnaire to the Obama and McCain campaigns trying pin them down on the specifics of key issues, particularly immigration. Here’s what happened:

By the July 31st deadline, only the Obama campaign had responded to the survey. The Sanctuary conducted extra follow-up with McCain’s campaign headquarters via e-mail and telephone to investigate their failure to meet the deadline.

"The first phone call I placed was answered cordially. I was told that someone would get back to me. I never heard back from anyone," said Sanctuary editor Kety Esquivel of www.CrossLeft.org, who has appeared on CNN to discuss the questionnaire. "The second time I called, the person I was speaking with hung up and the third time I called the line was disconnected."

Of course, it was only last month that McCain was cooing sweet nothings in the ears of Latino voters in Chicago, holding a late-night town-hall session that was closed to the public. Even then, it was obvious he was telling Latinos he was their pal — but just not to let anyone else know that. And it went over about as well as you’d expect.

Looks like he’s taking my advice and just embracing his party’s inner nativist wingnut.